Description

Crunchy, tangy, and pleasantly salty — these fermented dill pickles are the perfect gut-healthy treat for summer. All you need are fresh pickling cucumbers, a few herbs and spices, salt, water, a little patience, and some warmth.

Ingredients

Tools: 2 L (½ gallon) Mason or Weck jar, or 2 smaller jars
1 kg (2.2 lb) pickling cucumbers, fresh and organic
1.5 L (6⅓ cups) spring or non-chlorinated water
45 g (1.6 oz / 2½ tbsp) non-iodized salt
A handful of dill flowers / blossom, fresh or dried
Optional: 1–2 garlic cloves, horseradish root (small sticks), 1 bay leaf, mustard seeds or peppercorns (I use horseradish and garlic)

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Instructions

Clean and dry the jar (sterilize if needed).
Wash cucumbers under running water, pat dry, and trim the ends.
Rinse dill flowers if fresh, then pat dry.
Prepare optional add-ins (garlic, horseradish, bay leaf).
Bring water to a boil, stir in salt until dissolved, then remove from heat.
Place most of the dill at the bottom of the jar. Pack cucumbers tightly, filling gaps with halved cucumbers if needed. Add more dill on top, and insert a few horseradish sticks and 1-2 garlic cloves in the gaps. If you want to pickle some sliced cucumbers, like I did, follow the same steps.
Pour hot brine over cucumbers (place a knife under the jar to prevent cracking), ensuring they are fully submerged.
Seal loosely (not airtight) and ferment at room temperature for about 5 days, or until desired sourness is reached. The brine will turn cloudy — this is normal. What is NOT normal is mold, foul odor, or slimy brine.
Once fermented, seal tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Tip: A little brine from this batch can be used to start the next batch.

Notes

To adjust quantities, use 30g salt per 1L water. For a 2L (½ gallon) jar, you’ll need about 1 kg (2.2 lb) cucumbers if pickling them whole. You can use this same recipe and process for either whole cucumbers or sliced cucumbers.

Choose a salt that is minimally processed, has no iodine or anti-caking agents. Rock salt, kosher salt, hymalaian pink salt are great options.

Spring water, or tap water that has no chlorine or fluoride is ideal for lacto-fermentation.